Tuesday, May 13, 2008

righteous babe

For Isla, painting is a full-body experience.

Time to work the soil. "Where'd my wormy go?"

I feel like I should talk about something of great importance here but I just can't seem to come up with anything. Between the earthquake in China and the, what was it, cyclone in Myanmar, and poor Eight Bells the mare, I can hardly stand to pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio. The death, destruction and mayhem is just too much for one sensitive mother in small town America to fathom.

An admitted Public radio addict, each time I have switched it on this week, I switch it off directly, but not before hearing a "death toll," be it in Iraq, China, Kenya or Kentucky. I find it so hard to concentrate on the big picture when news like this keeps assaulting my ears and senses. 20,000 dead in China. 20, 000! Mothers sent their sons and daughters to school, and they never came back.

I find it difficult to remain positive, hopeful, optimistic about life in general and what we are all doing here on this planet in times like this when we are getting bombarded with tragedy. I realize with life comes death and we all have to play our part, and the greatest changes come from taking small steps, but sometimes I feel impatient and want to know how to save the world, Now!.

A friend told me I was getting righteous in my blogs lately. Righteous. I'm not even sure I know what that means but if it means I'm voicing my outrage at the state of things, then, I guess I am.

Though I hardly think I am because I am too much of a cowardly approval addict to really be honest. And I have to ask: How could one not be righteous? How could I turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to what goes on in the name of humans being humans. How's that bumper sticker go: "If you're not outraged, your not paying attention."

Shit, maybe she's right. Motherhood has made me this way. I feel complicit in all things ugly and polluted. I want my children to be assured clean water and blue skies and green grass and happy, free-roaming creatures and people who are pure of heart. People who are kind.

But, most of all, I want them to be educated and enlightened and allowed and inspired to explore their passions. I don't want them to feel compelled to choose a college major according to how much money they might make or how secure a job they might get. I want them to be driven by nothing other than their genuine interests. Exactly as they are now. The thought of them slaving away at some dumb job simply to get health insurance saddens me.

Will this still be the case when they are of working age? If we moved to England where there is a national health plan, would they be less likely to feel squelched by the pressure for security?

So many questions. So late at night.

For a more gentle approach to life, look here and here, over at BabyCenter.

P.S. If anyone can help me with my banner, it's obvious I'm in dire need.

I can never get those kids sewing machines to work. I finally tossed one in disgust! I hear the Janome Hello Kitty ones are great! On the banner, the one I posted on flickr should be full size - did you download the biggest size? I can email it to you if you'd like. You want the image dimensions to be approx. 880 x240. The one I currently have up on my blog is slightly bigger. It seems a little over sized to me, but I haven't rustled up the inspiration to make a new one!

About Me

This is where I write about being human and raising little humans and... oh the humanity. Oh yes, and returning to Vermont, after living in France. I'm taking reentry one day at a time with my eyes always fixed on the horizon.